Looking for a fun way to learn Korean with KPop Songs?
Well, if so, you’re in luck! Below, we’ll go over some of the lyrics for a few popular Kpop songs and give you explanations about what they mean. Then you can use them in your day-to-day interactions in Korean or sing along to the songs.
By the end of this article, we’re sure that you’ll have another reason to love and learn the Korean language!
This article includes phrases written in Hangul, the Korean alphabet. If you can’t read Hangul yet, it’s possible to learn in about 90 minutes, so what are you waiting for?
We’ve included a FREE PDF version of this lesson that you can take with you on the go. Check it out below:
Let’s get started!
Contents
- 1 Learn Korean with Kpop
- 2 Study Korean With Kpop Idols
- 2.1 BIGBANG –  ęŊ 길 (Flower Road)
- 2.2 Black Pink – ëëëë (Ddu-du ddu-du)
- 2.3 Roy Kim – ꡸ë í¤ė´ė§ëŠ´ ëŧ (Only then)
- 2.4 BtoB – ë ėė¸ ė ëë¤ (Only One For Me)
- 2.5 Hyuna – 뚨ę°ė (Red)
- 2.6 Sistar â Touch My Body
- 2.7 Exo – ëëė 미ë  (Wolf)Â
- 2.8 Miss A â I Caught Ya
- 2.9 4 Minute â ë¯¸ėŗ (Crazy)
- 3 Wrap Up
Learn Korean with Kpop
One of the most effective ways to learn Korean is to study Kpop song lyrics.
The great thing about this study method is that song lyrics are easy to memorize. If you learn Korean with Kpop, then the new grammar or vocabulary that you pick up from the songs can help speed up your Korean learning and also make learning more fun.
Even better, if you use K-pop phrases in your flashcards, you’ll be reminded of the song, which will make it even easier to remember!
So, how do you learn Korean with K-pop? It’s actually very easy. A lot of bonafide K-pop lovers and language learners will tell you that the first Korean words and phrases that they learned were actually lyrics from their favorite K-pop Song!Â
Kpop Lyrics
Because the music helps you recall Korean vocabulary, Kpop lyrics are a fantastic location to start learning Korean words, phrases, and expressions. Add in the fact that if you’re a genuine fan of a certain group, you’ll be singing the song over and over again, which will help you memorize Korean phrases even more.
Study Korean With Kpop Idols
You can study Korean with the Kpop idols that we’ll be mentioning below. We’ll give you a brief introduction to these Kpop idols and some of their easy Kpop songs to sing and learn Korean from. Let’s do this!
BIGBANG –  ęŊ 길 (Flower Road)
Bigbang is a K-Pop group that rose to stardom in the early 2000s. They have a huge fanbase and remain extremely popular. In early 2018, they made a comeback with the single Flower Road. As always, Bigbang produced a solid hit.
This Korean song was produced by two members of the group, G.Dragon and T.O.P. It was written as the last song before their hiatus due to military enlistment.
In the song “Flower Road”, let’s look at these lyrics:
꡸ëĻŦėė§ëŠ´ ëėė ė¤ė
꡸ë ë ë¤ė ë ėŦëí´ė¤ė
ė´ ęŊ 길 ë°ëŧ ė ė ėŦė´ę°ë¤ę°
꡸ ėëĻŦ 掏溺ėė ë 기ë¤ë ¤ė
Let’s go over the meaning of the first line:
꡸ëĻŦėė§ëŠ´ ëėė ė¤ė
(geuriwojimyeon dorawa jwoyo)
If you miss me, then come back to me
- ꡸ëĻŦė (geuriwo) – This means â to miss.” It is followed by -ė§ëŠ´ (jimyeon), which signifies condition or possibility. It is like saying âifâ and also serves as a connector of two clauses.
- ëėė (dorawa) – This is from the root word ëėė¤ë¤ (doraoda), which means “come back.”
Black Pink – ëëëë (Ddu-du ddu-du)
Black Pink debuted in 2016 and was an instant hit, topping sales charts and winning New Artist of the Year at the Seoul Music Awards. They solidified their status as an all-star group with hits throughout 2017.
In 2018, their hit “Ddu-du ddu-du” topped the charts on its release, and the music video garnered over 30 million views in its first 24 hours, becoming the most viewed video by a Korean group in that timeframe.
Let’s take a look at these lyrics from their song “Ddu-du ddu-du”:
ë ë˛ ėę°í´
íí ë¨ë¤ė˛ëŧ ė°Ší ė˛ė ëĒģ íëęš
ė°Šę°íė§ ë§
ėŊę˛ ėė´ėŖŧë ęą´ ë ėí ęą°ėŧ
Let’s go over the meaning of the third line:
ė°Šę°íė§ ë§
(chakgakaji ma)
Donât be mistaken
- This expression is usually used when you want to correct the belief or perception of a person you are dealing with.
- ė°Šę°íë¤ (chakgakada) – This means âmistakeâ or âdelude oneself.â
- ė§ ë§ (ji ma) – This expression comes from the polite expression ė§ ë§ė¸ė (ji maseyo), which is used to add negation to a request that means âdo not.â
Roy Kim – ꡸ë í¤ė´ė§ëŠ´ ëŧ (Only then)
Roy Kim is a singer-songwriter who debuted through a popular singing competition, Superstar K. He is known to have a unique genre as he utilizes folk, ballad, acoustic, and pop in his music.
This Korean song is about a person who is in a relationship but talks about when they would know to break up. This song was covered by BTSâs Jeon Jungkook. You can see this theme in the following stanza.
Let’s take a look at this stanza from his song “Only then”:
ë¤ę° ë¤ëĨ¸ ėŦëė´ ėĸėė§ëŠ´
ë´ę° ë ėë ę˛ ėĩėí´ė§ëŠ´
꡸ëę° ė¤ëŠ´ ꡸ëę° ë늴
꡸ë í¤ė´ė§ëŠ´ ëŧ
Let’s go over the meaning of the first line of the stanza above:
ë¤ę° ë¤ëĨ¸ ėŦëė´ ėĸėė§ëŠ´
(nega dareun sarami joajimyeon)
If you like another person
- ėĸėė§ëŠ´ (joajimyeon) – This word is made up of 2 words, which are ėĸėíë¤ (joahada) and ė§ëŠ´ (jimyeon). ėĸėíë¤ (joahada) means âlike,â and the word ė§ëŠ´ (jimyeon) stands for âifâ and serves as a connector.
- ë¤ę° (nega) – This means âyou.âÂ
- ë¤ëĨ¸ ėŦë (dareun saram) – This means âanother person.â
The second line of the stanza has the following meaning:
ë´ę° ë ėë ę˛ ėĩėí´ė§ëŠ´
(naega neo eomneun ge iksukaejimyeon)
If I get used to being without you
- ėĩėí´ė§ëŠ´ (iksukaejimyeon) – This comes from the root word ėĩėíë¤ (iksukada), which means âaccustomedâ or âbe used to.â Again, it is added with ė§ëŠ´, which is a connector.
- ë´ę° (naega) – This means âIâ or âmeâ
- ėë (eomneun) – This is from the word ėë¤ (eopda), which means ânoneâ or ânothing.â ë (neun) is a particle used to designate the main idea, topic, or issue and can be attached to both subject and object.
Let’s take a look at the third and fourth lines of this stanza:
꡸ëę° ė¤ëŠ´ ꡸ëę° ë늴
(geuttaega omyeon geuttaega doemyeon)
When that time comes, when that happens
꡸ë í¤ė´ė§ëŠ´ ëŧ
(geuttae heeojimyeon dwae)
Then, we can break up
- ꡸ë (geuttae) – This word in this line is followed by ę° (ga), which can be used to refer to a time in the past or future. In this stanza ꡸ëę° (geuttaega) means âat that time.â
- ė¤ëŠ´ (omyeon) and ë늴 (doemyeon) – These words are both followed by 늴 (myeon), which indicates the possibility of the actions ė¤ë¤ (oda), ëë¤ (doeda) and í¤ė´ė§ë¤ (he-eojida) to take place.
BtoB – ë ėė¸ ė ëë¤ (Only One For Me)
BTOB is a K-Pop group known for its superb vocals. The group has been active in the industry since 2012. Besides their vocals, theyâre known to be gifted dancers as well. Recently, they made a comeback with the song âOnly One For Me.â Â
This Korean song is about a person who decides to pursue and confess his feelings toward the woman he loves. He wants to express his feelings so he wonât regret them in the future.
Let’s take a look at these lines from their song “Only One For Me”:
ë ėė¸ ė ëë¤ ë ëėŦėŧ íë¤
ėëŦ´ëĻŦ ėę°í´ë ë 결ęĩ ëėŧ
Let’s go over the meaning of the first line of the stanza, which is made of 2 phrases.
ë ėė¸ ė ëë¤
(neo eopsin doenda)
I canât be without you
ë ëėŦėŧ íë¤
(nan neoyeoya handa)
I must be with you
- ë ėė¸ (neo eopsin) – This means “without you.”
- ė ëë¤ (an doenda) – This is from the word ëë¤ (doeda), which can mean âbe,â and since it is preceded by ė (an), the phrase literally means âcannot beâ.
- ë ëėŦėŧ íë¤ (nan neoyeoya handa) – This means “I must be with you,” where ėŦėŧ íë¤ means “must.”
The next line of this stanza has the following meaning:
ėëŦ´ëĻŦ ėę°í´ë ë 결ęĩ ëėŧ
(amuri saenggakaedo nan gyeolguk neoya)
No matter what I think, in the end, itâs still you.
- ėëŦ´ëĻŦ (amuri) – This word is used to express âno matter howâ
- ėę°í´ (saenggakae) – This comes from the root word ėę°íë¤ (saenggakhada)which means âthinkâ.
- 결ęĩ (gyeolguk) – This means âin the endâ or âfinally.â
Another line from their song has the following meaning:
íėė ííí늰 ė´ ę˛ ę°ė
(pyeongsaengeul huhoehamyeo sal geot gata)
I think Iâll regret it for the rest of my life.
- íė (pyeongsaeng) – This word means âlife.â
- íííë¤ (huhoehada) is âto regretâ.
- ę˛ ę°ė (geot gata) is used to express âseems likeâ or âto be likely to.â
Hyuna – 뚨ę°ė (Red)
Former Wondergirl and 4Minute singer HyunAâs song 뚨ę°ė (ppalgaeyo) moves away from the sickly-sweet image of her that listeners of her previous hit song “bubble pop” mightâve had.
Although the lyrics ėėė´ ėëŠė´ë ëš¨ę° (wonsungi eongdeongineun ppalgae | a monkeyâs butt is red) are the most catchy of the song, you might find that particular phrase a little bit difficult to use in general conversation.
We also donât recommend saying íŧë´ė¤í ëęš ėëŠė´ ë (honnaejultenikka eongdeongi dae) in public, either!
Here’s a line from her song “Red:”
ë ëęŗ ë ëė§ ë§ ë ė§ę¸ ëëŦ´ë ė¸ëĄë¨ ë§ė´ėŧ
This line is made up of 2 phrases. Let’s take a look at the meaning of these phrases.
ë ëęŗ ë ëė§ ë§
(nal dugo tteonaji ma)
Donât leave me/ donât go without me
ë ė§ę¸ ëëŦ´ë ė¸ëĄë¨ ë§ė´ėŧ
(na jigeum neomuna oeropdan mariya)
Iâm so lonely right now
Many K-pop songs use contractions so that the lyrics fit into the song. For example ëë (naneun) becomes ë (nan) and ëëĨŧ (nareul) becomes ë (nal). This is important to look out for as these contractions might not come up straight away in a dictionary.
- ë (nan) – This word comes from the word ëë (naneun), which can mean “I” or “me.”
- ëë¤ (duda) – This word means to put something down or leave something in a place (for example, ėą ė ėą ėė ëë¤ (chaegeul chaeksange duda)would mean to put a book on a desk).
- ë ëë¤ (tteonada) – This means to leave as in “to depart” (ėļë°íë¤ | chulbalhada – also has the same meaning and is often used in announcements at airports or train stations instead). So ëęŗ ë ëë¤ (dugo tteonada)means departing without taking the other thing with you.
- âė§ë§ (âjima) is a shortened way of saying âė§ ë§ė¸ė (âji maseyo), which means “donât” in Korean and can be attached to the end of any verb. Often, you will hear ę°ė§ë§ (gajima | donât go) in song lyrics instead of ëęŗ ë ëė§ë§ (dugo tteonajima).
For the 2nd part of the line, below is the meaning of the words in it.Â
- ė§ę¸ (jigeum) – This word means “now.”
- ëëŦ´ë (neomuna) – This can mean “so” or “too much.”
- ė¸ëĄë¨ (oeropdan) – This comes from the word ė¸ëĄë¤, which means “lonely.”
- ë§ė´ėŧ (mariya) comes from ë§ (mal) meaning word or speech. A common expression using it is ëŦ´ė¨ ë§ė´ėŧ (museun mariya), meaning (very informally) “What did you say?”. This phrase can be heard often in Korean dramas whenever a character is surprised at the ridiculous situation that is unfolding. Used in this sentence, it is like Hyun-A is saying, “What Iâm saying is Iâm so lonely right now.”
Sistar â Touch My Body
Let’s take a look at this line from their song “Touch My Body”:
ëė´ í¨ęģ ëŗ´ë ė ëŗë¤
Here’s the meaning of the line:
ëė´ í¨ęģ ëŗ´ë ė ëŗë¤
(duri hamkke boneun jeo byeoldeul)
The stars we are looking at together
- ë (dul) – This word means “two” and, in this situation, could be translated as “the two of us”.
- í¨ęģ (hamkke) – This is another word for “together” (as opposed to the more common ę°ė´ | gachi).
- ëŗ´ë ëŗë¤ (boneun byeoldeul) – This means “the stars that are seen / we can see.”
- “A” íë ę˛ (“A” haneun geot) is a useful piece of grammar that means “the thing that does âAâ”. It is used a lot in Korean, for example, “ė ë ė´ëíë ë¨ėëĨŧ ėĸėí´ė (jeoneun undonghaneun namjareul joahaeyo | I like guys that exercise).”
Another line from their song is:Â
ė´ë ëęĩŦëŗ´ë¤ íëŗĩí´Â
(eoneu nuguboda haengbokae)
Iâm happier than anybody
- ëŗ´ë¤ (boda) – This is another useful word. In Korean, to say A is better than B, you can say:
“Bëŗ´ë¤A(ė´/ę°) ë ėĸë¤ (B boda A(i/ga) deo jota)”
As you can see, the word order is different in Korean than in the related Korean expression. In this line, âAâ (ė ę° | jega) has been omitted to make the lyric fit into the song.
Another example of this piece of grammar being used with words omitted is the title of the Korean drama “ęŊëŗ´ë¤ë¨ė (kkotbodanamja),” which translates to “Boys Over Flowers.” Fans of this drama can use its title to help them remember this piece of grammar and the word order within it.
“Touch my Body” has lots of English in it, and the words ė°ëĻŦ (uri | we/us/our) and ė§ę¸ (jigeum | now) come up a lot. It could be quite an easy choice to sing along to for some parts, at least.Â
Exo – ëëė 미ë  (Wolf)Â
The wolf (ëë | neukdae) in this song title is a word often used as slang for a guy who hits on women.
Here’s a part of a line from their song “Wolf”:
í°ėŧ ëŦė§
(keunil natji)
Heâs in big trouble
- í°ėŧ (keunil) – This means “problem,” “crisis,” or “trouble.” When it is used, it is usually combined with the verb ëë¤, meaning “to come out.”
- ëë¤ (nada) – This verb is used with other words like ė´ (yeol | fever) and í (hwa | anger) to make ė´ė´ ëë¤ (yeori nada) and íę° ëë¤ (hwaga nada).
- ëŦë¤ (natda) – This is the past tense version of ëë¤ (nada). Later in the song, this word comes up again in the line âë ëĒģ ëę˛ ė´, í°ėŧ ëŦė´ (neol mot kkeunkesseo, keunil nasseo)â meaning âI canât quit you, Iâm in big trouble.
Miss A â I Caught Ya
Here’s a line from Miss A’s song “I Caught Ya”:
ë 미ėí ėę˛Šė´ ėė´ė
(neon mianhal jagyeogi eopseoyo)
You have no right to be sorry
- ėę˛Šė´ ėë¤ (jagyeogi itda) – This is a useful phrase to learn. It means “I deserve” and can be used in many situations, such as at the end of a long day when you can say ë§ĨėŖŧëĨŧ ë§ė¤ ėę˛Šė´ ėė´ė (maekjureul masil jagyeogi isseoyo | I deserve a beer).
- ėę˛Šė´ ėë¤ (jagyeogi eopda) – This phrase means “donât deserve.” This is the opposite of ėę˛Šė´ ėë¤ (jagyeogi itda).Â
As mentioned before, Kpop lyrics often use Korean in a strange way, and this song is no different, using ė (yo)when there is no need to be polite to a cheating boyfriend. It also sounds a bit strange when compared to some of the songâs other lyrics, like ėëëŦė°ëęš ęēŧė ¸ ė¤ëė (sikkeureounikka kkeojyeo jullaeyo | shut up and get lost please).
4 Minute â ë¯¸ėŗ (Crazy)
Let’s take a look at the following stanza from 4 Minute’s song “Crazy”:
ë ëŗ´ęŗ ë¯¸ėŗ
(C.R.A.Z.Y) ë°ëŧ í´
(C.R.A.Z.Y) ëǍë ë¤ ë¯¸ėŗ
Here’s the meaning of the following lines:
ë ëŗ´ęŗ ë¯¸ėŗ
(nal bogo michyeo)
Look at me and go crazy
C.R.A.Z.Y ë°ëŧ í´
(C.R.A.Z.Y. ttara hae)
C.R.A.Z.Y. follow me
C.R.A.Z.Y ëǍë ë¤ ë¯¸ėŗ
(C.R.A.Z.Y modu da michyeo)
C.R.A.Z.Y everybody go crazy
- ęŗ (go) – This word is used as a way of linking verbs together and means “and” in English. It is used when the two activities are not directly related.
- Â ė (seo) – This is used instead of verbs or words that are directly related. For example, ėšęĩŦëĨŧ ë§ëė ëėė´ė (chingureul mannaseo norasseoyo | I met my friends and played). In these particular lyrics, either ė (seo) or ęŗ (go) would be acceptable.
- 미ėšë¤ (michida | to be crazy) – This is a very popular word in K-pop lyrics.
- The rest of the chorus uses the expression ë°ëŧ í´ (ttara hae), which means “follow me” or “repeat after me,” as if 4 Minute wants the crowd to shout out C.R.A.Z.Y. You can use this as it is or insert “ë§ (mal)” to say ë°ëŧ ë§ í´ (ttara mal hae) which would have the same meaning.
Wrap Up
Remember, when you learn Korean with Kpop, you need to be careful because, as with Korean dramas, the language used isnât always the most natural way to say something. Now that you know the meaning of the lyrics to these songs, you can practice while listening and try to form your own sentences. You might even get to sing these in Korean karaoke!
What K-pop songs would you like for us to break down for you next? Which songs do you think would be the most useful to use when learning Korean? Which Korean songs do you like best for studying? Or, most importantly, which K-pop groups do you think are the best? Let us know in the comments below!
For more ways to learn Korean, you can explore some apps to help you in your language journey. Best of luck!
Photo Credit: Bigstock.com
A tricky question, hopefully I can keep it appropriately polite!
I’m wondering about some of the common words that can become curse or vulgar terms in speech. I want to understand correct usage so I wouldn’t say or translate incorrectly.
It came up here with ėëŠė´, which can also translate as hip or backside. Can I say my hip hurt without swearing? đ
This reminds me also of the word ėëŧ.
Is this a context thing, tone of voice or is it about what particle is used? How do we use these words without offending anyone? ęŗ ë§ėė.
Hello! You can say ėëŠė´ę° ėíė for “my hip hurt”. ėëŧ is a term for young animals, it can be used to call a cub, a puppy, a calf, or a baby bird. However, it becomes offensive when it’s used to call a person.
I am a recent fan of both K-Drama and K-Pop. I have become so enamored of both genres that I am learning Korean to be able to really understand them both. Some of my favorite K-Pop soloists/groups are 10cm, Gaho, Yoon Mirae and Heize – and I adore Mido and Fasol from Hospital Playlist. I especially love listening to the soundtracks from all the K-Dramas. The connection of story to music makes both so much more powerful.
Your website has been very helpful to me overall. I learned Hangul in an afternoon on your site, and I refer to your website frequently. You have so much great information there. Chongmal gamsahamnita!
Awesome, thanks for sharing. I’m glad that our website has been helpful to you, Tracy! ^^ If you want to have more Korean lessons, you can check our check our blog and visit our YouTube channel for articles and videos with great Korean content.